Here's a bit of news about the Ace 2018 re-issue of the greatest sci-fi novel ever written. While I don't *hate* the new cover, I do have to admit that there are several others from over the years that I like better, including this one from my paperback copy during my high-school years.

And you probably already know that the very first Sales and Sci-Fi Lesson came from this novel, and was the spark that lit the way for all of the other lessons that followed. I won't repeat the entire lesson here, but just give you the take-away again.

"You can wait until you're in the mood in order to participate in some activities. But for fighting-- and sales-- you need to get out there and do what needs to be done, and let the 'mood' follow as it will."

Rather than inflict that on you, I'll just note that you should visit the bookstore of your choice RIGHT NOW and get his latest, "Star-Begotten: A Life Lived in Science Fiction," a memoir described as "Gunn's reflections on a career that spans from science fiction's Golden Age to the present."

One of the more engaging diversions on my smartphone is a game called "Plants vs. Zombies." You plant different types of vegetation to protect your home from the zombie apocalypse, and I have found that winning this game requires the same sort of strategy that makes one successful in the sales world...

My regular readers know that I find a lot of sales inspiration in the works of Robert Heinlein. Here's one of my latest posts about RAH, and while it doesn't focus specifically on sales-takeaways, it does feature one of his lesser know stories about a salesman, "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants."

Yes, Dune is indeed the very best SF novel ever written. My latest post over on ProducersWeb.com, an industry site for Insurance professionals, draws another valuable sales lesson from Frank Herbert's classic book. Here's the link to the post:﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿Fear is the Sales-Killer﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

And if you like this tip, feel free to also click on over to my earlier Dune-inspired lesson on ProducersWeb, which just happens to be the same lesson that started it all and kicked off the book, Rugg's Handbook of Sales and Science Fiction. Here's the link to the earlier post:The Spice Must Flow-- And So Must The Sales

I got a chance to slip over to the Reno Livestock Events Center today to check out the High Desert Steampunk Expo. It's a great event, and if you are near the Truckee Meadows, the expo continues on through 4 pm tomorrow (April 19, 2015) as well, so there's still time to head on over. And if you do, make sure and stop by the Great Basin Geeks info table, it's a group put together by a friend, Mike Ford, to promote all things Speculative Fiction here in Northern Nevada. GBG is running a raffle at the Steampunk Expo, and I'm proud to say that a few copies of The Handbook of Sales and Science Fiction are among the prizes. :)

You know that the main focus of Sales and Sci-Fi is about how a person can find lessons, tips and tricks from the genre in order to improve one's sales career.

Sometimes this involves some convoluted thinking, drawing ideas and applying concepts that have absolutely no surface relation to sales.

But there are other times when the fantasy or science fiction author specifically uses a sales situation or setting in their writing. My favorite example of this is Robert Heinlein's "If This Goes On--" in which his hero, a member of the revolution against the oppressive theocracy, has to go undercover as a textiles sales representative. This Heinlein tale provides Lesson #7 in my Handbook.

But I ran across another great example of sales IN science fiction the other day. I have an e-mail subscription to Daily Science Fiction (subscriptions are FREE!), and on Friday, March 13 (I know, right?), there was a story by James Van Pelt that really jumped out at me. I'm not a fan of spoilers, so I won't tell you anything, I'll let you read it for yourself. EXCEPT, I really DO have to note that the character in the story is a telemarketer for Tahoe timeshares... and I have to say-- Been there, done that. :)

Anyway, you can go to the story here, James Van Pelt's Everything's Unlikely.

And then sign up to get a daily dose of short sci-fi right in your very own in-box by visiting Daily Science Fiction.